


This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us

by Pootin



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Cowboy AU, F/F, Wild West AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-09-26 16:18:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20392576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pootin/pseuds/Pootin
Summary: Sheriff Myoui Mina has dedicated her life to protecting the town of RedWood that resides in the West County. So forgive her for being just a little bit wary of the stranger who wanders into her town on a horse with nothing but a letter from the East council, and a hat riddled with holes.





	1. There's A Snake In My Boot

“We don’t take too kindly to strangers round here.”

The wooden beam next to the cloaked figure smoked as a freshly shot bullet buried itself inside the weathered material. 

Every set of eyes in the saloon turned towards the still swinging Venetian doors. There stood an imposing figure, from the bottom of the shined spurs on her boots to the worn holster on her hips, all the way to the decorated wide brimmed hat on her head. Every inch of her screamed leadership, an authoritative power that she had worked hard to establish as the Sheriff of the town.

“Especially not strangers who claim that _they’re _the new sheriff in town.” 

The newcomer at the bar raised their hands, but not before slamming the shot of whisky back onto the bar's surface. 

A cough resounded and a floorboard creaked as the patrons waited in anticipation of the next move with bated breath. 

The stranger slowly stood up, boots thumping gently on the floor as they hopped off the bar stool, and Mina remarked that they were quite short for a supposed contender. As they turned around, Mina remarked that they also happened to be a woman, a woman with long black plaited hair and moles and wide eyes that were absolutely, for lack of a better term, _enchanting_. 

Her hands never shook when she held her gun. Every move was calculated and precise, her style reflected her personality in that way. So why were they shaking now?

A loud laugh echoed around the building, snapping her out of her thoughts, the sound coming from the now revealed stranger. She still had both her hands up by the sides of her head. 

“Now, Sheriff, I never claimed to be competition.” She said, a hint of amusement in her voice at the predicament she had found herself in.

“Really? So what’s all this commotion I’m hearing about you challenging me for my position.”

“It seems that rumours run fast in this town, huh?” She looked around the bar and chuckled lowly, shaking her head as she smiled and Mina was captivated by the action, “How about we start over, no preconceptions of each other. Let me introduce myself to you.”

She pulled her gloves off as she walked, tucking the leather into her cloak’s inside pockets. 

As she pulled apart her cloak to the side, Mina noticed the gun on the other woman’s waist. She adjusted her grip on her revolver, reminded of the situation and her position. Sure she may be the best gunslinger The West County had ever seen in its history, but she’d never met this woman before. She had no idea what she was capable of.

The shorter woman stopped in front of Mina’s gun, the barrel pointed right at the centre of her eyebrows. 

She stretched her right arm out in front of her, before realising that Mina was holding her gun with her right hand, and stuck her left one out instead.

Warily eyeing the stranger, Mina gingerly clasped her strong hands with her own. 

She had a firm handshake. 

“My name is Son Chaeyoung of The East County, and you are Myoui Mina, also known as The Black Swan of The West County.”

“You are correct in your assumption. But then again, everybody knows that. You’re a long way away from home Son.”

Chaeyoung smiled. “I am indeed. Park Jihyo sent me. I have proof.”

At that Mina narrowed her eyes, that was a name she was familiar with. She spun her gun by it’s trigger guard back into the holster. It was all for show, but it certainly did the trick of intimidating intruders.

“Let’s talk.” She looked around at the customers of the bar, “As you were.”

Quickly the customers resumed their jovial atmosphere before the Sheriff’s surprise appearance. Every evening The Saloon was alive with laughter and good natured fun. It reflected the atmosphere of the town as a whole.

She looked back at Chaeyoung and tilted her head towards the bar. They walked in silence and took a seat on the stools where Chaeyoung had been sat not too long ago. 

“So what exactly are your intentions, Miss Son?”

“Oh eagar aren’t we, Myoui?” Chaeyoung caught the attention of the bartender. 

“Another whisky please.”

“Forgive me. I simply have my town’s best interests at heart.”

She caught the glass as it slid down the bar. “That’s understandable.”

“Now, if you wouldn’t mind answering my question?”

Chaeyoung threw her head back and took a large gulp of her scotch. With a satisfied sigh she faced Mina.

“I’m going to be honest with you Myoui, I’m prohibited from telling you. I’m under strict instructions from Mayor Jihyo not to give away any details of my reasoning for being here.” Chaeyoung raised a palm before Mina could say anything, “I know. I know you’re going to object, but I promise on my grave, no harm will come to anyone in this town. In fact, there is most _definitely _a positive outcome at the end of all of this.”

Mina raised an eyebrow at that, she didn’t know what The East County towns were planning, but she trusted Jihyo. The West and the East had a strong enough alliance that she wouldn't suspect them to pull anything stupid, however weak that alliance was becoming. She knew from experience that Jihyo was a good leader, having met her before briefly for cross country official meetings.

Mina may not have been the biggest fan of the East, but she knew a good person when she saw one. 

“You better promise on your goddamn hat, Son, I care about every single person in this town. If anything happens, I’ll have to assume it’s got something to do with you.” She glared threateningly, letting her emotions take over. 

“Feel free to hang me if it all goes wrong.” Chaeyoung replied, a little too nonchalantly for Mina’s taste. “I’m on your side here, Myoui.”

Mina considered her words. Chaeyoung spoke with such clear honesty and straightforwardness that she had no choice but to believe her. Twirling the officially stamped letter around in her hands, she mused for a moment as to what exactly it was that could be happening in her town, and why she wasn’t allowed to know. 

Taking her mind off of business, she decided she’d better get to know Chaeyoung a little bit better. After all, she couldn’t let any troublemaker hang around for all she knew, even if she was on a ‘business’ trip.

“How long will you be stopping here for?”

“Mmm, give or take three months or so.”

“That’s a long time away from home.”

Chaeyoung shrugged, tipping her head back again as she swallowed the last of her whiskey. She called the bartender, Sana, over. The two had already bonded over their extroverted sense of humour before Mina interrupted.

“Where will you be staying?” Mina said whilst greeting Sana with a tip of her hat. The Sheriff had become acquaintanced with every civilian, she liked to keep a friendly and open relationship. That was the reason she’d been voted into the position by almost every single townsperson.

Sana raised her eyebrows at Mina’s greeting, clearly dissatisfied at how her childhood friend hadn’t even said hello to her. But Sana understood that Mina had an image to uphold, especially in front of outsiders.

It was Mina’s turn to raise her eyebrows as she watched Sana refill Chaeyoung’s glass. The other woman was no alcoholic by the Wild West’s standards, but she sure did love a drink.

The younger woman thanked the bartender and swivelled in her seat, smiling as sweetly as she could to Mina.

“That reminds me, can I slum it with you at the office for a little bit?”

“No. No way.”

Chaeyoung pouted at her.

“You’re welcome to stay in the cells if you want.” Mina offered.

Chaeyoung’s mouth dropped, a comically offended look on her face.

“This is a blatant disregard of The Sheriff’s Code! Come on you _must_ have some space in there. I passed by it earlier by the way, looks massive.”

“You’d think.”

The office was big, luxuriously so. 

“Not enough room for a small one like me?”

Mina thought of the multiple spare bedrooms on the second floor. 

“Don’t think so.”

Chaeyoung mulled her answer over, swishing the clear brown liquid around in her glass before realising something. “Where does your deputy sleep then?”

“I don’t have a deputy, don’t need one.”

Chaeyoung observed the stoic woman. 

“Hey Chaengie, you can stay with me if you want!” The bartender interrupted the conversation that clearly was going nowhere. She knew she had to intervene if they were going to make any progress. 

Chaeyoung turned to her excitedly. “That’s very kind of you Sana! You sure about that?”

Sana leaned forward on her elbows.

“Of course! I’m sure my bed's big enough for the both of us…” Her eyes glinted with a mischievousness that matched her sly smirk, Mina had seen that look before.

“Alright!” Mina interjected in a voice slightly louder than her usual tone, surprising the other two. “You can stay at the office Son. Might do well to have another Sheriff around.”

Mina had no idea what came over her just then. She’d felt something illogically emotional when she saw the way Sana had blatantly eyed up the woman in front of her.

Clearly her uncharacteristic, sudden outburst hadn’t gone unnoticed by Sana either. Her friend gave her a look and smirked. 

“Thanks Myoui! Let me get you a drink.”

Mina waved her hand in front of her face, “I don’t drink while on duty.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Guess I’ll just have to buy everyone else in here a round then,” Chaeyoung stood up on her stool, clambered atop the bar and cupped her hands around her mouth, “Listen up everyone! Drinks are on me tonight!”

A chorus of cheers went off and the band on the stage started playing. Fast paced banjos and harmonicas encouraging everyone to start dancing. Chaeyoung didn’t get down from the counter, instead choosing to dance on top of it. Rhythmic chants of Chaeyoung! were the only thing anyone could hear in the room. 

It seemed the townsfolk had already taken to the newcomer. 

It was then that Mina remembered that she’d only just shot a bullet into Sana’s bar a few moments ago. Turning towards the laughing woman she bowed her head apologetically. 

“I’m so sorry about the bullet, Sana, I’ll get it fixed as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry about it Mina! I’d do the same thing if I was trying to impress a cute girl.” Sana said whilst grinning.

Mina held up a finger, her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“I’m- I don’t know what you’re- Uh.”

But Sana had already gone back to pulling pints of endless beverages for the half drunken crowd forming at the bar.

She squeezed her forehead with her fingers.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_

* * *

“If you don’t have a deputy, who does the night shifts.”

“Barely anything happens at this time, besides I’m a light sleeper. That is if I’m lucky to get any sleep at all these days.”

Mina sat in her chair behind her desk, her feet crossed on the table. She’d eventually succumbed to a drink or three, feeling like she’d need one with a character like Chaeyoung around. 

“You know, Son, I’ve heard of you before. Just never had a face to put to the name.”

She didn’t know why she felt the need to make conversation, perhaps it was the alcohol flowing in her blood, or the nighttime deliriousness. It was probably a concoction of the two.

“Oh yeah? What kinds of things have you heard.”

“That you’re Son Chaeyoung, _The Beast from the East_.” she paused before adding on, “Kind of corny.”

Chaeyoung laughed heartily. The sound carried through the thin wooden walls of the Sheriff’s hallway into the office easily. 

“_Corny_.” She huffed, “As if Myoui Mina,_The Best Of the West_, oh and let's not forget ‘The Black Swan’ isn’t.” 

“Hey, I never said I _approved _of those names.” Mina muttered.

There was a lull in the clattering of dishes coming from the kitchen, like Chaeyoung was mulling over something.

“Hey, isn’t that funny?”

“What’s funny?” Mina could hear Chaeyoung’s voice getting closer.

“Our titles, they’re pretty similar, aren’t they? Must be fate that we’d meet.”

“You believe in that crap?” Mina scoffed at the idea of fate.

“Damn sure I do.”

Chaeyoung appeared in the doorway, messy hair taken out of her plait, the top buttons of her fringed shirt undone. Her sleeves were rolled up and her holster sat low on her hips. 

She dragged her fingers through her hair. Mina averted her eyes.

“Don’t you have something you believe in, Sheriff Myoui?”

The woman in question gulped hard. An uncomfortable silence settled between them, until Mina finally swallowed her awkwardness and spoke.

“I do. Or at least, I used to.”

Already, Mina had said too much.

Chaeyoung observed the woman in front of her closely. Mina didn’t like the way Chaeyoung looked at her. It made her feel things she couldn't comprehend.

“I’m sure your journey was tiresome, you should get some rest now.” She said, coughing to remove the lump that had formed in her throat.

Chaeyoung seemed to have snapped out of the trance she was in. “Ah yeah, night Sheriff, and thank you kindly for letting me stay.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Mina replied a little bit too dryly.

Chaeyoung left, the floorboards of the staircase creaking under her feet until a thump and a loud yawn was heard was heard from above. After a few minutes the only sounds Mina could hear were the crickets chirping, and the lights buzzing on the porch. 

She stared out of the window, she’d be there until the sun broke through the horizon and the first signs of life began to appear through the town. 

She looked down at the papers on her desk. At that letter. 

_Permission granted for Son Chaeyoung to be appointed as official deputy head at [REDWOOD] for the duration of: minimum three months. _

The unmistakable stamp underneath the letter had convinced her. It was impossible to recreate the intricate pattern in gold. She’d received letters with that seal countless times before.

It was the faint image of the Phoenix that appeared when she held the letter up to a candle that sealed the deal. The golden light was the only thing that could reveal the symbol specially imbedded into the paper. It was from Park Jihyo herself. 

She tossed the letter onto her desk and chose to instead stare forwards at the painting on the wall. She studied the brushstrokes like she hadn’t studied them before. If sight could erode, the painting would be nothing but dry paint flakes on the floor.

What _did _she believe in, anymore?


	2. Chapter 2

Chaeyoung forced her eyes open, she awoke to the noise of people bartering, horses neighing and carts rattling against the ground. The general hustle and bustle of a town. She was lying on her front, her head turned uncomfortably to the side. She tried to move her head but a sharp jolt of pain shot up through her neck as she did so.

She pushed herself up on the bed with a strangled groan. As slowly as she could she stretched her neck out. Turning her head in all directions carefully until the pain had subsided. Looking around the room she remembered where she was now.

She slipped her feet into her boots and stood up, rolling her shoulders and cracking her joints. She grabbed her hat off of the coat stand and set it onto her head firmly, the interior of it perfectly molded to the shape of her head. She then placed her holster that carried her revolver around her waist, she never went anywhere without it.

Chaeyouung descended the stairs of the building and found one of the few cells were occupied. Inside it sat a guy passed out, reeking of alcohol. His mouth was wide open, disgruntled noises coming from his throat occasionally. Chaeyoung smirked to herself, it felt like she was still back at her own office at home.

Passing the cells she stuck her head into the office, and as expected, found it empty. The room would’ve been absent of any proof Mina had even been there, had she not left the opened letter lying on her desk.

Deciding to explore the town in the absence of Mina, Chaeyoung slammed the buildings door shut, locking it with the spare set of keys the Sheriff had leant to her for her stay. She lifted the ring of keys for a closer look, there seemed to be an old nametag attached to it, but whatever writing there was had been scrawled out with angry marks of graphite.

She was disturbed by a loud whinnying from her right. There stood her chestnut coloured horse, under the shade of the canopy lapping up water from the trough kept outside the office. The water looked fresh and cool, someone had refilled it that morning. Chaeyoung walked over to greet him, brushing her hands through his white mane.

“Hey there boy. How was your night huh?”

The horse grunted in response, his eyes closing as he turned his head away from his rider, displaying a sign of indignance. Chaeyoung understood from this that he also felt strange being so far from home.

“You’re so human-like sometimes it freaks me out.”

She stood next to him, running her fingers along the mane, occasionally plaiting a few strands for fun. With a deep sigh she patted him gently.

“We’re gonna be here for a long time, better get used to it.”

She was already feeling a little homesick.  
  


* * *

Chaeyoung had to admit that although The West County towns were strange and different, they were a good kind of strange and different. She’d always loved the idea of travelling across the entire expanse of The Wild West, but her duties never allowed her time for that. So the whole opportunity was fantastic, if a bit dangerous. 

She used to hear rumours that the people in the West were far more uneducated than the settlers in the East. Although the leaders of the counties were trying to build a connection between the towns, it was hard to change the mindset of the people. These kinds of stereotypes and baseless prejudices were things that Chaeyoung vehemently rejected.

She observed the mountains in the distance and revelled in the surprisingly refreshing breeze that calmed her nerves. If there was one thing she preferred in RedWood over her town, it was the availability of freshwater. The abundance of water meant that the town could even afford to have a fancy looking fountain in the town square.

Chaeyoung strolled through the town, wanting to get used to the layout and the people that lived there. Occasionally she would doff her hat at a few familiar faces she’d seen at the bar last night. It was important for her to know everyone that passed through these streets and everything that went on. 

She snaked a hand underneath the top of her shirt, clutching at the silver pendant necklace that hung around her collarbone. 

_Don’t let him catch you._

She hadn’t realised it, but her eyes had closed and her legs had taken her to a familiar residence in this terribly unfamiliar town. 

The Saloon.

Pushing past those same batwing doors she had entered through the day before, she made a beeline for the bar. She found the person she was looking for attempting to retrieve the bullet that had been shot at Chaeyoung from inside the beam. The Saloon was significantly less busier than it had been in the evening, with the few patrons present opting to eat a full breakfast in place of guzzling numerous pints of beer.

Chaeyoung stood behind the Japanese woman, watching her struggle to leverage the bullet shell that had embedded itself into the wood out with a knife.

She walked up behind her and leaned in close, having to stretch onto her tiptoes to reach her ears.

“Need some help with that?”

“If you could that’d be great!” Sana chirped, not even flinching a little.

Chaeyoung pouted. “That wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for.”

Sana scoffed. “I own a saloon, nothing fazes me.”

“Good point. I guess you don’t get much business around these times?”

“Nope, why?” The bartender turned around to talk to Chaeyoung properly.

“Just wondering if you’d be willing to give me a tour of the town.”

Sana put her hand on her chin and pretended to think about the proposition for all of three seconds before shouting over her shoulder at the man behind the bar. “Jae! Watch the bar for me, I’m giving the new deputy a little tour of our not-so-little town.”  
  


* * *

By the end of the day Chaeyoung had seen everything from the barbers and the butchers to the local mysterious hole in the ground that swallowed up everything it came into contact with.

Sana had led her past every building, explaining the history behind the structures and monuments in the ever expanding town. She was a good tour guide, making the experience entertaining and throwing in some of her own childhood memories in the process. They ended up trading stories of growing up in their hometowns with each other.

They’d come to take a break at the side of the street in the shade of a shop. The two women sat on a metal bench and munched on their dried fruit snacks. 

“What’s that building there?” Chaeyoung pointed at a busy construction site. There were lots of materials piled on top of each other surrounding the area, it was a big space the building would take up. 

“To be honest with you, no one really knows what that place is yet. But the mayor approved of its construction. There’s been a lot of speculation on it.”

“The Mayor.” Chaeyoung murmured to herself. “Where’s the Mayor’s office by the way, I don’t think I’ve seen it yet.”

“He has his office someplace else. Nobody’s really sure about where it is exactly, that’s why everyone tends to listen to Mina around here. She may technically report to him, but I think everyone’s accepted her as the real leader.”

Chaeyoung hesitated, she didn’t know Sana well enough yet, but she knew she could trust her. She had a knack for sensing the good and the evil within people. Sana radiated kindness. 

“The Mayor of RedWood. I’ve heard...certain things about him.”

Sana’s eyes flickered to the side. She inhaled a deep breath, scratching the back of her neck. “Oh yeah? Care to elaborate?”

Chaeyoung chuckled under her breath. “I was hoping you could.”

Sana didn't respond for a minute or so. Chaeyoung refrained from asking anything else, she could sense she was going to receive information that would make her whole reason for being in RedWood clearer.

“I’ve lived here for my whole life, Deputy. I’ve seen the changes to my home, and I can sense something bad is going to happen.” The bartender’s eyes were dark.

“I hope I’m not the source of said bad things.” Chaeyoung tried to alleviate the rising tension of the situation.

Sana laughed lightly.

“Quite the opposite in fact.”

They continued to sit on the bench, eating their dried fruit snacks. Chaeyoung recalled that Mina and Sana had seemed friendly towards each other last evening. Well, the friendliest Chaeyoung had seen the other woman so far.

“Could I ask you something? About Mina?”

“Go for it.”

“Why doesn’t she have a deputy, or someone to help her out at least. This town is huge compared to some places I’ve seen. The amount of responsibility placed on her alone, surely it must take its toll.”

Sana’s demeanor changed, like Chaeyoung had mentioned a topic she shouldn’t have. The Deputy could sense the normally vibrant energy dim slightly, her eyes downcast all of a sudden.

“There’s, well there’s a reason for it.”

Sana noticed that the other woman looked down. Chaeyoung was searching for an answer that she couldn’t give. At least not now.

“She’ll tell you in her own time. Mina may seem cold at first, but that’s just how she is around new people. Don’t worry, you guys are going to get along great.” She flashed Chaeyoung a reassuring smile and patted her on the shoulder.

The younger woman wasn’t so sure about Sana’s words.

But then again, this whole mission she’d been sent on was basically just her waiting it out. The Sheriff would no doubt have to open up to her eventually. 

Chaeyoung stood up, stretching her arms and legs out. “How about you show me that shop with the hats? I’ve been meaning to get a new one.”

“Sure.” Sana followed suit and reached a hand up to jokingly flick at the accessory, “That thing looks pretty worn out, by the way. Does being a Sheriff not pay all that well?”

“I can afford new hats, just haven’t gotten around to getting one in a long time.”

“We can chuck your old one into the mystery hole if you want. Won’t ever see it again.”

Chaeyoung hummed. “Good idea but I’d like to keep it.”

“Why?” Sana asked with genuine curiosity.

“Now _that_, is a story for another day.”  
  


* * *

The door to the office creaked for an extended amount of time as the intruder tried to minimise the amount of noise she was making. But the floorboards gave her away anyways, despite her best efforts at tiptoeing silently through the hallway. 

“Deputy Son, I saw you strolling around our little town with Miss Minatozaki today.”

Chaeyoung jolted at the sound of the Sheriff’s voice. She didn’t know why she’d even bothered trying to sneak in. It seemed Mina didn’t need to sleep, she ran on nothing but pure justice and barefoot coffee.

Chaeyoung straightened her posture. “Yes, Sana was just familiarising me with RedWood. Though I wouldn’t call it little by any means.”

“Right. Of course I’m sure the East County towns are far more advanced than us. Nothing too impressive here.” Mina had a cold gaze and a hostile aura. “Things over here aren’t worth half a dime where you’re from, right?” Chaeyoung swore she could've heard the hint of a growl at the end of the Sheriff’s sentence.

Come to think of it, Chaeyoung hadn’t seen Mina all day. Judging by the resentful and bitter tone in her voice, she realised that the Sheriff had probably been avoiding her. Not the best start to their partnership to say the least. 

“RedWood is a beautiful place full of wonderful people. Just because I come from the East does _not _mean I look down on others.” She bit back with more force than was intended. But she couldn’t help it. It was only her second day there and she already felt a longing for the place she called home, pair that with the mission at hand and Chaeyoung was feeling more than just a _little _on edge. "Who are you to judge me Sheriff Myoui? You hardly even know me, not that you're even trying in the first place."

Mina didn’t say anything. She simply continued staring at Chaeyoung. Scrutinising her with unblinking eyes. Her gaze did not soften nor waver once.

Finally she broke the unbearably tense silence between them. “Get some sleep deputy.” The Sheriff said whilst turning her head away to stare at the painting on the wall.

Chaeyoung didn’t have to think twice about following Mina’s orders. She thumped her way up the stairs into her room, shut the door and pulled a flask out of her back pocket. With her back against the door, she slid down until she reached the floor. Raising the metal container to her lips she drank, taking big gulps of the bitter liquid. It barely burned her throat anymore.

She chucked the now empty container away from her. It clattered against the floor, but Chaeyoung could barely hear the noise it made. 

A swig of the good stuff always took the edge off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter but I'm just trying to build the plot a little more. Still trying to get updates in :)

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go. My first attempt at a multi-chapter with consistent updates.
> 
> I have been planning this since the end of last year, and tried to work on it inbetween working and studying. I want to try and get this story finished, no matter how long it takes me, something I'm notoriously terrible at. I've been preparing chapters, the plot and the structuring for a while now. I really hope readers will find it interesting and entertaining. I've tried to portray an authentic version of the Wild West with some liability made for fiction's sake.
> 
> I will say in advance I'm sorry if I never finish this/am inconsistent with updates. I'm entering a time in my life where a lot is happening, so the future of this story may be uncertain.
> 
> Last thing - It is absolutely hilarious to imagine everyone talking in a southern accent. 


End file.
